Why Drink Colas filled with Carbon Dioxide? We Need Oxygen..isnt it?

Have a look at the wrapper on a Coca-Cola 1.5 liter bottle and in the ingredients label you will find phosphoric acid in it. Minute quantities of ethylene glycol are also used (which is acknowledged in the soft drink world for making it really chill). This is popularly known as anti-freeze which prevents water from freezing at 0 deg C and instead drops it 4-5 degrees with minute quantities. This chemical is a known slow poison in the caliber of arsenic!!!!. So, if you manage to drink about 4 liters of Coke within an hour or so, you can die. Read along and give up these dangerous things. Be natural; have flavored milks, tender coconuts, buttermilk, lassi and plain water instead of these "soft" drinks. Guess what's the pH for soft drinks, e.g. Coke? PH 3.4! (The PH value of potable water is 7) This acidity is strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones! Our human body stops building bones at the age of about 30. Soft drinks do not have any nutrition value (in terms of vitamins & minerals). It is high in sugar content, carbonic acid, chemicals i.e. colorings etc. Some like to take cold soft drinks after each meal. Guess what's the impact? Our body needs an optimum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius for digestive enzyme functioning. The temperature of cold soft drinks is very much below 37 degrees or even close to 0 degrees Celsius. This will dilute the enzymes & stress the digestive system. The food taken will not be digested. Full Report and More News

Jumeirah International Becomes Jumeirah

Jumeirah International, the leading corporate organization that manages many leading hotel properties in Dubai, has changed its name and logo. "On 21 June 2005, a new name and identity were revealed to our colleagues and business partners by Gerald Lawless, Chief Executive Officer. This announcement signals the start of an exciting period. Jumeirah, as Jumeirah International is now known, is going forward to develop a global super-brand under a single, distinctive and memorable name. All of our hotel names will feature the Jumeirah identity, yet each will retain their individual style and uniqueness," said the company official sources. Jumeirah International, now known as Jumeirah, was founded in 1997 and handles many properties in Dubai including Burj Al Arab one of the tallest buildings in the city.

" Jumeirah is to fulfill a vision. It is to build a super-brand with global reach - one which is synonymous with luxury and prestige. A new name and a new logo signal the start of an exciting journey. All our hotels will feature the Jumeirah identity yet each will continue to offer a unique guest experience. Our new identity will simplify the presentation of the organisation and will build recognition of a prestige group of individualistic hotels and resorts. "Jumeirah's overriding strategy will continue to be to operate Hotels and Resorts of individualistic qualities, incredible luxury and iconic status in or around major cities. Through this exciting development plan, new name and identity, Jumeirah is to build a brand which will be synonymous with the very best hotels, outstanding service and distinctive hallmarks. Jumeirah International LLC was a Limited Liability Company incorporated in Dubai with commercial Registration Number 57869. Its share capital was Dhs.300,000 fully paid up. Jumeirah properties include Burj Al Arab, the World's tallest all suite hotel, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah, Carlton Tower Hotel, London and, Lowndes Hotel, London.

Foreign Arabs in Iraq harassed by security officials

BAGHDAD, 21 June (IRIN) - Ahmed Bodini, a Sudanese national, was driving his family home from a supermarket in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, when he was stopped at a checkpoint by government troops and interrogated."The national guards made me get out of the car and started swearing at me and humiliated me in front of my family because they discovered that I was Sudanese. I was immediately handcuffed and blindfolded and taken for three days of interrogation at a prison and beaten," Bodini said.

"They released me, giving me one week to leave the country telling me that we Arabs are terrorists who carry out suicide attacks that threaten world peace and security. But I don't have anywhere to go," he said. Bodini has lived in Iraq for nearly 20 years. According to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 42,000 Palestinian refugees and dozens of Sudanese nationals living in Iraq.

Some people from both nationalities have been in the country for more than two decades and are now facing tough times due to a crackdown on foreign insurgents. Sudanese and Palestinians were favoured and welcomed by Saddam Hussein because he had a policy of helping under privileged Arab communities, and these two groups in particular, due to the political circumstances in their respective countries.

However, many Palestinians were recruited into the Baath party as a result and felt obliged to participate in politics due to assistance they were receiving from the government. Now, both groups complain of discrimination as US and Iraqi forces carry out strategic security operations to flush out foreign fighters."Many families from these backgrounds have been suffering from discrimination in Iraq and are being forced to leave their homes. Some have even been forced to leave the country," a senior official for the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), who preferred not to be named for security reasons, said.

The official continued, saying that living conditions for displaced Sudanese and Palestinians were deteriorating and that urgent action was needed from the new government. According to him, the most badly affected groups were from Baghdad and among those camped near the Iraqi-Jordanian border. "Foreign Arab families have been treated as terrorists and this is an abuse against people who for years were living safely and happily in this country," the source said.

ACTION DUE TO INSURGENCY

Interior ministry officials told IRIN that insurgency in the country, in which they say some Sudanese and Palestinians are involved, has meant that dozens of people from these countries have been arrested in Baghdad and in other Iraqi cities. They denied that communities of these nationalities in Iraq had been harassed or treated badly. Maj Salim Feiraz, a senior official in the Ministry of Interior (MoI), told IRIN that any foreigners found without proper documents would be deported. He said it was the only way to control foreign insurgency in the country.

"Sometimes we take the person direct from our office to the border if he is found to be suspect and his family will follow him later because many of those working with the insurgency bring their families as a way to cover their work," Feiraz explained.

A senior official from the MoI, told IRIN that of the insurgents captured in Iraq, nearly 80 percent were from other Arab countries.

TREATMENT DURING SADDAM'S TIME

Arabs of different nationalities, particularly Sudanese and Palestinians, received special treatment during Saddam Hussein's regime, mainly for political gain. This included free education, medical treatment and in some cases housing allowances.However, following the conflict in April 2003, these benefits were stopped. Schools and universities started to charge them for education and most of the residents who were receiving housing allowances were evicted from their homes in Baghdad.

Aid agencies have been able to assist in some cases, but insecurity has hampered reconstruction and resettlement efforts. "Palestinians are people who depend from the good heart of their Muslim brothers. Saddam was taking care of us because he understood our situation, but people now just know how to make us displaced again and accuse us of being terrorists," Muhammad Fadel, a Palestinian and father of five said. He added that he was now squatting at a friend's house after being kicked out of his home.

Palestinians were recruited into the Baath Party in large numbers during Saddam's time, some explained that they were obliged to do so in order to receive ongoing benefits from the government.

Others said that Iraqis started to accuse them of being responsible for the poor economy in the country, as Saddam was taking from the Iraqis to give to them and accused Palestinians of being part of his intelligence service.

"Many of my friends turned their backs on me after the recent war saying that money spent on us should be used for Iraqis. I tried to explain that it was help and nothing else and that we are brothers," Fadel said.

INCREASED DISPLACEMENT

Aid agencies are concerned that continuing complaints of discrimination could lead to increased displacement in a country which already has some one million people uprooted from their homes. Some foreign Arab families are living in tents in the middle of a desert on the border with Jordan in catastrophic conditions, according to the IRCS.Others who have lost their homes are still in the country and are sleeping rough in parks and abandoned schools in poor conditions with little or no assistance.

Marie-Helene Verney, a spokeswoman for UNHCR in Geneva said that the agency, obstructed by insecurity, was still working to get a full picture of the situation inside the country. "We are not inside Iraq and this makes the situation more complicated for us to get the full picture of the Sudanese and Palestinians' situation inside Iraq as well as for other returnees," Verney explained.

"If the government does not take an initiative to help us, we will be victims of this violence against Arabs. I just want asylum in a country which will treat me as a human being and not an animal and criminal," Palestinian resident in Baghdad, Mariam Omar said.

Academic freedom essential for democracy, activists say

CAIRO, 19 Jun 2005 (IRIN) - Human rights activists in Egypt have reiterated a call that freedom and independence of universities are essential to a successful democratic transformation in Egypt. The comments follow a Human Rights Watch Report (HRW) published in May which outlined limitations to academic independence and freedom in the country.

“The university is a place for exchange and development of thought,” Dr Raouf Abbas, an Egyptian historian and an academic freedom activist, said. “Most importantly, universities can be a good place for training the youth to participate in the public sphere. This is through participation in activities and student union elections,” he added. According to the HRW report, entitled ‘Reading Between the Red Lines: The Repression of Academic Freedom in Egyptian Universities’, “academic freedom violations pervade the country’s system of higher education.”

The report cited that since the early 1990s, Egyptian academics have faced public condemnation, judicial convictions, physical violence, and other forms of intimidation from both government officials and private groups and individuals, particularly Islamist militants.

HRW is discussing the findings of the report with the government, which is said to be considering reforms. “Egyptian universities suffer from different forms of interference,” Atef Al-Saadawy, a political researcher for the Democracy Journal and a human rights activist said. He recalled many incidents in which students and professors were not allowed to express their views freely. “When they expressed themselves, they faced punitive action,” he explained.

He talked of an incident when a student was dragged out of an award ceremony simply because he dedicated his prize to a jailed Egyptian professor arrested for political activity. “The student was dragged out of the ceremony by two university security officers and was submitted to an investigation by the university’s administration,” he said.Al-Saadawy also recalled a time when a seminar had to be cancelled because university security refused to allow the guest speaker in. “Hamdi Kandil, a famous TV presenter, was invited to speak in a seminar held at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science in Cairo University. University security said that they would not allow him to enter university premises,” he said.

“This was because Kandil is known to have crossed red lines in his programme that was banned from Egyptian television,” Al-Saadawy explained. Hossam Al-Hamalawy, currently a reporter for the US-based LA Times, was also intimidated when in university for his insistence on freedom of expression. “I was threatened to be put on probation if I chose to continue expressing my political beliefs,” Al-Hamalawy said. Al-Hamalawy, previously a student of the American University in Cairo, was banned from entering the campus for a whole semester after he graduated.

No one was available from the government to comment on these incidents.The HRW report also revealed many incidents of book censorship within Egyptian universities. According to Sayed Mahmoud, an Egyptian cultural reporter, many professors were questioned for teaching certain books in class. “Five years ago, Dr Abdel Moneim Al-Gome’y, professor of modern history in Cairo University, was stopped from teaching and interrogated for using a book that was critical of Egyptian regimes,” he said.

“It was ironic to find that the book was written in the 19th century,” he added. Sometimes books are banned as a result of pressures exerted by parents. “The American University in Cairo, which does not fall under the supervision of the Higher Council for Education, had to ban a couple of books taught by professors, such as Maxime Rodinson’s Muhammad, simply because parents found it offensive,” Sayed Mahmoud said. Dr Raouf sees that this, to a certain extent, is the result of lack of academic freedom. “In the long run this creates a society that does not accept dialogue and different points of view,” he said.

Rajivs High Tech Dream About Indigenous Technology Came True : Says Sonia Gandhi

New Delhi - It was the dream of late Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi that India should develop on its own a super computer for the country and now the dream has been fulfilled. It was two decades ago, when America had not made available India the super computer, Shri Rajiv Gandhi decided that India should on its own develop such technology and for that purpose the C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) was set up. Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, National Advisory Council said this while releasing the free CDs containing rich collection of Hindi Software Tools and Fonts to the public, here today. Smt. Gandhi also inaugurated the website http://www.ildc.gov.in which would provide free distribution on-line, upon registration by the net surfer at the designated website. Shri Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology and several other Cabinet Ministers were also present on the occasion. Smt. Gandhi distributed the Hindi CDs to the Editors & Publishers of various prominent Hindi Dailies as also the Chief Executives of the Electronic Media.

Speaking further on the occasion Smt. Gandhi recalled that when late Shri Rajiv Gandhi decided to develop this kind of indigenous technology most of the people were telling that it would not be possible and some felt that it was not necessary. Facing all the impediments that came in the way, today CDAC has successfully come out with the language CDs. Two months ago, the Tamil CD was released and today the Hindi CD has come. Smt. Gandhi said that communicating in one's own mother tongue will be easier than any other medium of communication. One can sharpen his knowledge in his mother tongue. Therefore, it is necessary to make available the facilities of software tools of all Indian languages. Referring to the recent enactment of Right to Information Act, Smt. Gandhi said that it is a revolutionary step and Information Technology will play a greater role to achieve.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Dayanidhi Maran, Minister of Communications & Information Technology said that in India only 5% of the population are speaking and writing in English while the rest of 95% are communicating in their mother tongue only. When we were talking of broad band and taking computer to villages, therefore it is necessary to develop the CDs in all the Indian Languages. We will make all the 22 Indian Language fonts free to all the country men, he said. Computer penetration can be only successful only if the countrymen in the rural areas are able to access to the computer in his mother tongue. The Minister told the distinguished gathering the idea of launching the website with free downloading was in consonance with the principles adopted by the foreign countries on the issue of languages. He recalled the struggle that any one had to make in those hard days for developing a font and that too not compatible with each other. Dr. Shakeel Ahmad, Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Shri Brijesh Kumar, Secretary, DIT, Prof. R.M.K. Sinha, IIT Kanpur and Dr. Rajeev Sangal, IIIT, Hyderabad also spoke on the occasion.

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Shri Kamal Nath meeting with the Minister of State for Foreign affairs of Qatar Mr. Ahmed Bin Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, in New Delhi on 20th June 2005.

Tanmia Open Day for best employment options for UAE Nationals

Employers who signed an MoU with Tanmia to interact with National job seekers

June 20, 2005 The National Human Resource Development and Employment Authority (Tanmia) will be organising Open Day, a Mini Career Fair to explore employment opportunities for UAE National job seekers, on June 22, 2005 at Dubai Women's College. The Open Fair will extend Tanmia's partnership with employers who signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tanmia, during the recently concluded Careers UAE 2005. Marwan Al Sawaleh, Assistant Director General and Director of the
Employment and Skills Development Center, Tanmia, said: "I would like to express my gratitude to the participating employers for demonstrating their
support to the Emiratisation drive. Such an initiative fulfills the needs of
both employers and jobseekers, as employers have an opportunity to fill job
vacancies after interacting with a large pool of National jobseekers,
assembled at one common platform. On the other hand, National jobseekers will be able to interact with several prospective employers and get acquainted with various aspects of the UAE job market."

"The Open Day is a result of Tanmia's highly successful participation in Careers UAE 2005, where Tanmia signed strategic MoUs with leading companies from the banking sector and with several government departments," he added.The participating employers at the Open Day will include Emirates Airlines, Dubai Islamic Bank, HSBC Bank, Citibank, Mashreq Bank, Standard
Chartered Bank, Barclays Bank, Emirates Bank and Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department.

Faud Sheban, HR Manager, HSBC Bank said: "At present there are a lot of vacancies to be filled up at the bank, across various departments like customer service, IT and human resources. During the Open Day we will explain to the job seekers how to apply online through our website. We will add the profiles of the job seekers to our database for future reference as
well. HSBC will hire fresh graduates with diploma or higher diploma and also experienced applicants and we will train the new employees on our processes in coordination with Tanmia. HSBC currently hires more than 700 Nationals in various branches across the UAE." The Open Day will be attended by a large number of UAE National job seekers from Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman, in addition to Dubai Women's College students and prospective employers.

Heesa Al Ghurair, Human Resources Business Advisor, Barclays Bank said, "More than 20 per cent of our employees in the UAE are Nationals, who besides being among our best performing employees have also proved that they fit well in a multinational, multicultural work environment. We are participating in the Open Day primarily to fill about 10 vacancies in the finance, accounting and project development departments of the bank." "As per the Memorandum of Understanding, the employers will provide focused training to the job seekers to empower them with the required skills to handle the challenges at the workplace. Tanmia is committed in its efforts to provide the best employment opportunities for UAE Nationals and to
significantly enhance their contribution to the country's economic progress, by making them an integral part of the workforce. We also look forward to the continued participation of companies from the private sector in the Emiratisation process," said Essa Ali bin Salem Al-Zaabi, Manager, Dubai Office, Tanmia. During Careers UAE, Tanmia representatives provided valuable information to business owners and visitors about Tanmia's services. They also focused on educating jobseekers visiting Tanmia's stand about making use of the Authority's comprehensive web portal that helps Nationals access the job market.

Daad, Special Dad for68 Children of the Largest UAE Family

By V.M.Sathish

MANAMA (AJMAN) – Anyone can become a father, but a dad is someone special to his children. Daad is a loving and caring dad for all the 68 children who belong to the biggest family in the UAE. On the Father’s Day the Daad Murad off springs from the eight month old girl child to the 35 years old Ayoob lined up to wish a Happy Fathers Day to their aging and handicapped father who is getting ready for his next marriage. Speaking to KM, children of Daad Mohammed Murad Abdul Rahman, head of the largest family in the UAE said despite the large number of kids that he fathered, each one gets due attention and care and their share of daily poket money – sometimes Dhs.5 in the morning and Dhs.10 in the evenings. For some of the little ones Daad is a generous dad. The Daad family members including the special man of the occasion are not aware of Father’s Day which falls on Father’s Day celebrated in the 3rd Sunday in June (June 19th). However when KM caught up with the family in the UAE to learn how good s their dad they all said everyday is Fathers day for them because their dad is a special man for them. How can a man with more than 70 children be a good and caring father?

“My life is dedicated to my children. I gave birth to them, feed and educate them properly and take care of their needs. Once they grow I help them find a job, arrange their marriage and build new houses for them,” says Daad, his four years old son Badar sitting on his lap. “My eldest son, Ayoob Daad is in Abu Dhabi working for the air force. All the young children are going to school. Every day they take their pocket money,” he added. “A good father treats all his children equally,” he added. “Whenever they get leave, they come and talk to me. Otherwise we talk over the phone,” he added. There are fourteen houses for the Daad family and the father goes rotating to each house. “You become a bad father when you don’t meet the children’s requirements. Even if I have 70 children, I take care of their requirements without any difference,” he says. “Every hour the small kids need pocket money. So I keep lot of changes in my pocket,” Daad said showing the bulk Dhs.5 and Dhs.10 notes from his pocket.

“Occasionally I take them to Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Ajman for shopping and buy new clothes. I cannot take out everyone for outing together because it may require two buses to carry all the 68 children. A normal bus has only 55 seats,” he says, with a naughty smile. “Whenever possible we celebrate each child’s birthday. Whoever is possible comes and attends. We cut special goats to celebrate birthdays,” he added. “Baaba (father) is good. He never beats us. I help him to walk and get his stretcher. He has only one leg and needs help,” says Sultan, one of the young sons of Daad. His mother left for India when Sultan was just four months old and it has been the father and elder brothers who took care of the four month old son. Sultan who has never enjoyed a mother’s love says his father’s love is enough for him. “I don’t know about my mother, but I love my father. He too loves me and we all respect him,” says Sultan. “We are all given mobile phones too and the bill is footed by Babaaji,” he added. “Only two of my sons smoke. When I learned that they smoke, a habit developed from peer groups in school, I told them not to worry about smoking in front of me. If they want to smoke there is no problem,” he said. “Only one son has married twice,” he adds.

What do the children feel about Daad getting married again and again? “Even if I get married again they are happy. They tell me to marry again because they know that even if I marry 100 times, their dad takes care of them well. Only when a father doesn’t look after children properly there will be problems,” he says. While planning his next marriage to be held in the first week of July at Baluchistan with a 22 year old educated girl, Daad is also preparing to take his 10 years old daughter Saafiya, who was crippled with polio, for Ayurvedic treatment in Kerala. A year ago Saafiya was infected with polio in which both her hands were paralysed. “It was a difficult situation and we spend lot of money and time for her treatment in London. With the help of His Highness Sheikh Zayed, I took her three times to the Grand Hospital in London for treatment. Now she is alright, but only one hand is working properly. “I went to London three times with Saafiya and spend about three months in the London hospital. Thank Gold she is recovered now,” said Daad, the caring dad. For the girl children, he has made special play areas with games and cradles in each of the 14 homes. “Boys can go out and play. Girls need something to spend their time indoors,” he added. Daaad, father of 32 daughter, eldest one 32 years old Fathima and 8 months old Annne, is sad about Saafiya, whose both arms were paralysed in a polio attack last year.

“I will take her to Kerala for Ayurvedic treatment. We hope her paralysed hand will also be treated,” said Daad, a caring father. “Only Safiya was sick and all my other children and hail and healthy,” he added. “Even if I cannot take care of all the 68 children, the elder brothers and sisters guide their siblings properly,” he added. Now the family is keenly awaiting the next two young members who will join them soon. On the Father’s Day, partially handicapped Saafiya handed over a Fathers Day card to the handicapped Daad Murad with her one working hand with the following message: “For My Dad with love on Fathers Day. A good father is someone who shares our joys and our triumphs, our problems and causes. He is someone to count on for comfort and cheer.”